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View Full Version : databook vs. guidebook vs. maps



cayte03
02-25-2012, 11:36
Hi -
This might be an idiotic question, but I can't figure out the difference between the guidebook and databook? What sort of info does each one have? Would a map be sufficient?

I am pretty good at getting lost (being "directionally challenged" and all). I am also concerned about finding water - does the guidebook / databook list water sources?

Thanks!!!

Lyle
02-25-2012, 11:59
Maps : give trail layout, elevation profiles and topo info. Road crossings, trail intersections, most waterways, some springs. Must know how to read a map to figure out mileages, directions, etc.

Data Book: Is a table that gives mileages between various landmarks such as roads, streams, shelters. Great for planning. Very brief, coded information on services available at near-by towns, and distance off the trail.

At Guide and Companion (Trail Guides): Kinda like a Data Book on steroids. Includes much more detailed information on towns, contact information, specific services available, town maps (very useful).

Guide Books: These are the state by state books that describe each turn or climb of the trail. Include a lot of interesting local information, but much of it is not necessary to hike the trail.

While actually hiking, a Map and one of the trail guides are most popular. Will give you all the information you need for planning your days and weeks.

Data book is smaller and lighter than the trail guides and serves many of the same functions, so is an alternative. Add a map and you are all set.

The State Guides are heavy and generally considered overkill during a hike. Are good reading while planning your hike if you like to preview.

4eyedbuzzard
02-25-2012, 12:04
Maps alone are definitely not enough.

ATC guidebooks (pounds of them) - extremely detailed turn by turn trail descriptions, much more than needed for thruhiking. Best for sectioning if you want to learn a lot about the trail(s) in that area.

Data book - ATC's bare bones data on mileage between points like roads, shelters, water sources, etc.

ALDHA companion - data plus info needed for thru-hiking, such as expanded town info, campgrounds, motels, resupply info, etc.

AWOL's guide - like the ALDHA companion but with more town maps, profile maps, info, etc.

Most every thru-hiker will tell you to get Awol's Guide or the Companion and virtually every thru-hiker will carry one of these two guides, and some (perhaps half) will carry maps as well, though the need is often debated. The biggest need for a map would likely be in the Whites and perhaps Maine, and many only carry one in those sections. AWOL's most recent guide seems very well written/edited and is getting a lot of praise.

cayte03
02-25-2012, 12:10
thanks Lyle for a thorough reply. Just got one more question:
does the AT guide / companion include basic trailmaps, or is it only mileage / direction tables (like the databook)? Also - do maps list specific campsite location info? Also - how do I figure out things like open-fire regulations and non-campsite camping (I am sure there is a term for that)? Is this the type of info the AT guide / companion contains?

I am planning 2 week "trial hike" in late march to see how things go and then a 2-3 month hike june-aug. I was thinking of going with just a map for the 2 week hike, since I won't really need to resupply. but i am wondering if a map is even necessary - I'll be hiking in NJ / PA area and I know the AT is very well marked around here.

4eyedbuzzard
02-25-2012, 12:32
thanks Lyle for a thorough reply. Just got one more question:
does the AT guide / companion include basic trailmaps, or is it only mileage / direction tables (like the databook)? Also - do maps list specific campsite location info? Also - how do I figure out things like open-fire regulations and non-campsite camping (I am sure there is a term for that)? Is this the type of info the AT guide / companion contains?

I am planning 2 week "trial hike" in late march to see how things go and then a 2-3 month hike june-aug. I was thinking of going with just a map for the 2 week hike, since I won't really need to resupply. but i am wondering if a map is even necessary - I'll be hiking in NJ / PA area and I know the AT is very well marked around here.Curious. How do you figure you wont need to resupply on a two-week hike? You're going to carry 14 days (20 to 25 lbs) of food? You probably don't need a full guide or a map, but you better have good notes (like a mini-guide essentially) on where and when you're going to find water sources, where and when to resupply, etc. Note that plans often change when hiking due to weather, injury, sore muscles, stopping to take a swim, and an endless list of reasons. Having a guide and maps can really help in replanning where you'll camp next, where you'll find water, food, shelters, camping areas, roads, etc.

BTW, some fire regs are in the guides, but also local fire regs are usually posted at trailhead signs/message boards as well as at shelters, etc. NJ is a no open fires state, period.

cayte03
02-25-2012, 12:55
4eyedbuzzard - the longest hike i've gone on without resupply is 21 days (in northern russia). granted, that involved a fair amount of foraging (berries and mushrooms), so i figure 2 weeks should be doable. my metabolism is super-slow, so i do allright with less-than-average amount of food. my main concern is finding water, since i seem to drink more than average :) i have hiked a fair amount, but always with a group, where i wasn't the one doing the majority of the planning. this will be my first solo outing, so i am trying to think everything through.
so, i am still not exactly clear on what (maps / companion / databook) will provide me with the basic necessary info: water sources and camping info. (needless to say, i'll get more 'resources' for the longer hike)

4eyedbuzzard
02-25-2012, 13:23
4eyedbuzzard - the longest hike i've gone on without resupply is 21 days (in northern russia). granted, that involved a fair amount of foraging (berries and mushrooms), so i figure 2 weeks should be doable. my metabolism is super-slow, so i do allright with less-than-average amount of food. my main concern is finding water, since i seem to drink more than average :) i have hiked a fair amount, but always with a group, where i wasn't the one doing the majority of the planning. this will be my first solo outing, so i am trying to think everything through.
so, i am still not exactly clear on what (maps / companion / databook) will provide me with the basic necessary info: water sources and camping info. (needless to say, i'll get more 'resources' for the longer hike)There's simply no reason to carry more than 4 to 5 days food pretty much anywhere on the AT unless you like carrying a bunch of extra weight for the fun of it. I don't have a guide in front of me but from memory (I used to live in NJ) in the NJ/PA section you'll be able to buy food at Vernon, Unionville, Delware Water Gap / Stroudsburg, Windgap, Palmerton, Duncannon etc. This is where having either the Companion or AWOL's guide can be a real help in planning. For a section like this I'd photocopy the appropriate Companion / AWOL pages and take them with me along with maps of the trail section I was hiking (I like maps).

Lyle
02-25-2012, 13:38
thanks Lyle for a thorough reply. Just got one more question:
does the AT guide / companion include basic trailmaps, or is it only mileage / direction tables (like the databook)? Mileage tables like the data book with some additional written info on towns and specific landmarks. No maps of the trail itself. The AT Guide does include a profile map as a watermark on the background of the data tables. Very neat and useful feature. Also - do maps list specific campsite location info? Shelters - yes, Campsites - some. Also - how do I figure out things like open-fire regulations and non-campsite camping (I am sure there is a term for that)? Is this the type of info the AT guide / companion contains? Sometimes it's in the trail guides, sometimes just posted, sometimes it just depends on the land ownership and their general rules.

I am planning 2 week "trial hike" in late march to see how things go and then a 2-3 month hike june-aug. I was thinking of going with just a map for the 2 week hike, since I won't really need to resupply. but i am wondering if a map is even necessary - I'll be hiking in NJ / PA area and I know the AT is very well marked around here. While a two-week, non re-supplied trip is possible, it is unnecessary along the AT.

You may want to check out these maps as a reasonable compromise to the official ATC maps:

http://www.antigravitygear.com/pocket-profile-appalachian-trail-elevation-profile-map-individual.html

These, along with the Companion or AT Guide would be a reasonable approach.

Nice feature of the AT Guide over the Companion: Profile map incorporated, More town maps, available in either northbound or southbound version and as either a bound publication or looseleaf. The latter allows you to carry only the pertinent pages on your hike without tearing them out of a bound version.

Nice feature of the Companion over the AT Guide, available in electronic version if you wish to carry on a cell phone or just print off the pages you wish to carry. Must buy the paper version first.

Leanthree
02-25-2012, 13:45
For a 14 day hike I would probably be doing 1 or 2 resupplies and if it is in the NJ/NY/CT area there are plenty of treats (ice cream, deli, gas station, etc.) near road crossings if you are in the mood for them.

I have the companion, data book, maps and state guides and for a 14 day hike would use them in this way:
-Bring Maps (these are optional, but I like them)
-Copy entries from guidebook onto a single sheet of paper
-Add notes to single sheet of paper from Companion (e.g. it may say M for meals in the companion and I will write "diner 7a-7p")
-Print out the couple of pages of the companion for the trail towns I will be resupplying in.
-Read the state guides at home and if some viewpoint or historical point of interest jumps at me I add it to my single sheet of paper.

Seems like a lot, but I get more out of my hikes when I know what is around me. Others don't worry about that and just like to walk. HYOH and you will figure out which level of planning suits you. Have great trips!

Lyle
02-25-2012, 13:57
Also - how do I figure out things like open-fire regulations and non-campsite camping (I am sure there is a term for that)?

The term you are looking for is "dispersed camping".

Some folks, particularly here on WhiteBlaze, refer to dispersed camping as "Stealth Camping". This is a misnomer, as Stealth Camping actually means "secret" or "unobserved" camping. Useful if you intend to camp in illegal areas - not recommending that. Also useful if you anticipate you may attract the attention of rowdy locals if you camp near a road.

Bronk
02-26-2012, 04:57
The databook is really all you need. Its what I used for most of my hike, and while there were times I wished I had more detailed information, it was enough to get by. Guidebooks have a lot more information, but are bigger and heavier. The databook will give you elevations and mileage between points, ie so many miles to the next shelter, campsite, road, water source, resupply points...will tell you for each road crossing what services are available there: grocery, restaurant, lodging, etc.

The biggest drawback with the databook is its written in shorthand, so you really don't know what you're getting until you get there unless you have further knowledge or experience. In some places it will list a grocery store at a road crossing, but you get there and its a gas station rather than a super Walmart, so your choices will be more limited...you might wish you had bought more food at the real grocery store you saw in the last town. But all of that adds to the adventure of the hike, not knowing what is up ahead and making do with what you find along the way. The guidebooks will have more detailed information about what kinds of stores, restaurants and lodging are available.